Only days after announcing the cancellation of the 2025 Fillmore Jazz Festival, organizers said Monday that the street fair and concerts will return this summer thanks to an infusion of emergency funds.
Timothy Omi, president of the Fillmore Merchants Association, said the festival will take place as scheduled July 5-6 after receiving financial support from Ripple cofounder Chris Larsen and his group Avenue Greenlight, along with commitments from District 2 Supervisor Stephen Sherrill and District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood.
“I am thrilled to announce that the 2025 Fillmore Jazz Festival is officially back on,” Omi said in a statement.
The festival, the West Coast’s largest free jazz event, spans 12 blocks of Fillmore Street, from Jackson to Eddy, and attracts more than 50,000 people annually, according to organizers. The Fillmore was once a jazz mecca due to its plethora of music venues and a Black population that earned it the nickname the “Harlem of the West.”
Patti Mangan, executive director of the merchants association, described the festival’s revival as a rapid pivot by organizers who had begun looking a year ahead.
“We’re going from looking forward to how to approach for 2026 to now moving into reenacting, resurrecting 2025,” Mangan said, adding that organizers managed to apply for necessary street closure permits by Friday’s deadline.
The support from Avenue Greenlight, a philanthropic initiative funded by Larsen, a billionaire, came after discussions began Friday, two days after organizers announced that the 2025 festival was canceled.
“Avenue Greenlight is stepping forward in a significant way,” Mangan said, adding that the community response has been overwhelmingly supportive. “It’s been a groundswell. It’s just a lift that we needed.”
Organizers said mounting costs had pushed the festival’s budget to more than $500,000, citing expenses for city fees, talent, security, medical support, staffing, and required safety protocols. The merchants association was still carrying debt from the 2024 festival when it announced the cancellation.
“We hope that the SF community appreciates the serious effort and cost that comes with these iconic cultural events,” said Avenue Greenlight President Maryo Mogannam. “Nothing is achieved alone, and we look forward to others stepping up to the plate to help sustain events such as this for years to come.”
To secure the festival’s future, festival organizers launched a GoFundMe campaign Sunday, with an initial goal of $28,000, and are seeking additional sponsors and volunteers.
While the emergency funding allows the festival to proceed this year, Mangan emphasized, the organizers “still need help to preserve the festival into the future.” She added that she hopes to connect with other arts organizations, including SF JAZZ, on collaborations.